Environmental Impact Assessment
(asked on 20th April 2023) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government which environmental tests will be applied in the preparation of Environmental Outcomes Reports as provided for by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill.
Answered by
Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government recognise the important role site assessments play in understanding the impact of development and such assessments will fall under the new system of Environmental Outcome Reports (EORs).
An outcomes-based approach will test the acceptability of environmental impacts, with indicators developed to assess how a plan/project supports environmental outcomes set out in in the Environmental Improvement Plan, the Clean Air Strategy, and the UK Marine Strategy. These indicators will measure the expected change due to a plan/project against baseline conditions and wider trend data.
The Bill creates a framework for assessment that can work across the various EIA and SEA regimes - including the nationally significant Infrastructure Planning regime covering offshore wind projects. Further detail will be developed through consultation.